Oklahoma Update E-mail
From the Desk of Governor Brad Henry
Time to Make History
Last week, the state Legislature opened a historic session — the session of Oklahoma’s centennial — and in the State of the State address I outlined an agenda that I believe will lay a solid foundation for Oklahoma’s next 100 years.
It will ultimately fall to our children to lead Oklahoma to even greater heights in future decades, and so we must give them the tools to do so. Expanding Oklahoma’s nationally lauded voluntary early childhood education program will ensure that children are better prepared for kindergarten, and finding a permanent funding source for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, or Oklahoma’s Promise, will help produce more college graduates.
With higher teacher pay to keep our best and brightest teachers here and a bold new initiative to dramatically cut the number of high school dropouts, we can see to it that Oklahoma’s children will be prepared for the jobs of the future.
The creation of an Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, increased funding for the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology and further deposits the EDGE endowment will spur innovation and help make sure that high-paying jobs are waiting for students upon graduation.
We can also take steps toward a healthier Oklahoma. By raising the income eligibility of the Insure Oklahoma program, we can help more small businesses provide health coverage to their employees. Expanding Medicaid eligibility for children will help bring much-needed medical care to our youngest citizens.
By promoting drug courts, mental health courts, and related treatment programs in our prisons, we can make our streets safer, address the root cause of many crimes and finally stop the revolving doors of prison.
Now is the time for Oklahoma’s leaders to set aside petty partisan differences and work together for the betterment of our state. There is no doubt that this is a historic time; our vision for the Oklahoma’and the work we undertake to get there’must be equally historic.
